No easy way to keep resume off radar

May 06, 2012|Joyce Lain Kennedy | Careers Now, Tribune Media Services

DEAR JOYCE: I like my job, but I want to apply to a posting for a similar position that offers more pay and less traveling. The catch is that the company's website states that applicants must submit an online resume when applying. Period. I'm concerned about putting my resume online because if I'm not selected for the new position, I could get booted from my current position. Am I worrying too much? -- H.H.

I don't think so. The only way I know of to be 100 percent certain that your online resume won't find its way into the wrong hands is to keep it offline. Look for non-digital ways to reach hiring authorities for the target job, such as networking through professionals who know how good you are.

If you choose to take a chance and apply online, the classic security technique is to change all contact information, from name and address to phone and email. Open a new free email account at yahoo.com or hotmail.com. Refer to yourself as "Number One Confidential Candidate." Use a generic description of your current employer and location. If your job title is uncommon, go generic.

Sanitize information abut earlier employers only if you're in a small industry where people can figure out who you are by reading your work history.

Having said that, be aware that some recruiters and hiring authorities won't even read identity-protected resumes. Readers, if you have additional suggestions to manage the digital exposure issue, I'm all ears (jlk@sunfeatures.com).

DEAR JOYCE: I'm 57 and I have darn good experience and I can outwork people 20 years younger. But, now in the job market because my last company closed, I've been on the job interview scene. Why is it that some interviewers act as though we're wasting their time? -- B.B.W.

Because they can. And maybe you really are wasting their time because you haven't done the prep for the interview.

Unless you have a rare and special skill that the interviewing company absolutely must acquire, you're working a one-way street to sell an organization on hiring you. You can move to a two-way street and negotiate after you have a job offer.

I'm not suggesting that you behave like an inferior in a job interview. I bet you have a good track record of accomplishments to bring to the table. Participate as an equal, not as a subordinate of the person conducting the interview. Participating as an equal is a subtle matter of self-perception that suggests you can do a superior job when hired.

DEAR JOYCE: I read about the state of Maryland passing a bill barring employers from demanding online passwords. Has this gross invasion of privacy been addressed at the federal level? -- V.K.

The danger of an employer demanding your social media passwords is probably overblown.

However, just to be sure your privacy rights are maintained, Rep. Eliot Engel from New York has introduced legislation known as the "Social Networking Online Protection Act" (SNOPA), which also prohibits colleges and schools, as well as employers, from requiring password access to personal online accounts.

The bad news: SNOPA has a 1 percent chance of being passed, according to opinions of political gurus on a fascinating free website that allows anyone to track pending legislation and to keep tabs on representatives in the U.S. Congress: GovTrack.us. Check out SNOPA at http://govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr5050.

DEAR JOYCE: Here's a good strategy to use in a job interview when you need to stand out from the pack: Ask the hiring manager, "Who's your best employee, and why?" Your response: "I'm glad to hear that. Your top performer's attributes fit my qualifications to a tee. I'm going to become your new best employee, because ...." -- F.L.

(E-mail career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at jlk@sunfeatures.com; use "Reader Question" for subject line. Or mail her at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007.)